Gym

A Gym (Japanese: ジムGym) is a place where Pokémon Trainers go to train their Pokémon. Just like real life gymnasiums, where one can go to work out and build physical strength, Pokémon Gyms are places where Trainers can go to sharpen their battling skills and where their Pokémon can go to gain experience.

Often specializing in a particular type, Gyms create an environment which allows Trainers to test both their skills and Pokémon against those of others. The most powerful Trainer in a given Gym is called the Gym Leader, who is revered by both the lower-ranking members of the Gym and local fans. In the games, there is a character that usually stands near the front door of each Gym, giving tips on how to beat the Gym's challenges.

Official Gyms

Gyms that are certified by the Pokémon League are vital to a Pokémon Trainer's journey. Leagues are designed so that conventional Trainers must travel far and wide before entering a League Competition, as the only way to enter one is by gaining at least eight official Gym Badges, and there can only be one official Gym per city. Usually, the Gyms are designed to follow and suit the type that the Gym specializes in. For example, Wattson's Gym has electric gates to indicate that it is Electric. However, there are also Gyms that do not practice this, like Viridian Gym and Cinnabar Gym, for example.

In the games

In the games, most Gyms feature a number of Trainers that the player may face before battling the Gym Leader. Their teams typically consist of the same type of Pokémon that the Gym Leader has. These Trainers cannot be battled after the Gym Leader has been defeated.

In all regions so far, the Gym guide routinely stands at the entrance of the Gym, giving the player advice about the type advantages corresponding to the signature type of the Gym Leader.

In the anime

In the anime, all official Gyms present in the core series games have been featured (up to the Gyms in Unova). However, there have been several instances in the anime which have suggested that there are more Gyms in the anime than players are given access to in the games. The first instance occurs when Gary Oak reveals that he has at least ten Badges excluding the Earth Badge, of which only three correspond to known Kanto League Badges, suggesting there are at least fifteen Gyms in Kanto. Before the Indigo League competition, Ash encounters Otoshi in Bad to the Bone who owns eight Badges, but only shares four in common with Ash. Later in the episode, another Trainer appears with eight other completely different Badges. In total, Ash, Gary, Otoshi and the other Trainer display 27 different types of Badges, suggesting there were potentially at least this number of Gyms in Kanto at the time.

Other Badges observed in the anime which do not correspond to known Badges suggest that there are at least 9 Gyms in Hoenn, 12 in Sinnoh and 14 in Unova.

In Pokémon Origins

All eight Kanto Gyms featured in the games Pokémon Red and Green were shown in Pokémon Origins, which primarily showcased Red challenging the Pewter Gym in File 1 - Red and the Viridian Gym in File 3 - Giovanni.
Unlike the main series anime, the Gyms closely follow the system utilised in the games, where the challenger is able to use all Pokémon in their team against the Gym Leader. Gyms also have scoreboards featuring each Trainer's current Pokémon and their remaining HP. Gym Leaders may also hand out a TM along with their Badge, and are shown to be capable of altering their Pokémon used in battle, with Brock choosing two out of six potential Pokémon, and Giovanni using a different set of Pokémon than those used against his battle with Blue.

Related cardsCards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.

Unofficial Gyms

In the games

Saffron City Dojo

The Trainers of this Gym specialize in Fighting-type Pokémon. It used to be an official Gym until Sabrina defeated its Leader, Kiyo. After the player defeats the Dojo's Karate Master Kiyo, he will give the player either Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan as a reward.

In the anime

A.J.'s Gym

This Gym is run solely by the Trainer A.J., and is notable for its rigorous training methods. It is unknown what prize if any A.J. gave to any victorious challengers, because he left it to enter the Pokémon League after he defeated 100 challengers in a row using only his Sandshrew. This Gym appears in The Path to the Pokémon League.

Coastline Gym

This is an unofficial Gym that was featured in Just Add Water. It is located on the outskirts of Blackthorn City. Led by Dorian, the Gym specializes in Water-type Pokémon. Unlike the other Water-type Gyms, Dorian holds his battles underwater.

Although the Gym is unofficial, Dorian is hoping that by word of mouth it will become more popular. In fact, after Ash and his friends visited the Gym, they promised they would tell everyone at the Silver Conference about it. However, it hasn't been mentioned since then.

Powerzone Gym

This is an unofficial Gym run by Jessie, James and Meowth in Gymbaliar!. They used the Gym as a method of training and building strategies, however they were on a losing streak until a wild Croagunk appeared and was used as Jessie's powerhouse.

In the TCG

This listing is of cards that feature TCG-exclusive Gyms, which focus on altering a certain gameplay mechanic.

Related cardsCards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.

Differences between generations

Generations II, V and VI have a unique design for each Gym (except Cinnabar Gym, which is destroyed). However, in Generation II, the only difference is the shape and color of the roof, with the exception of Saffron and Cerulean Gyms.

In Generation V and VI, Gyms do not take on a single appearance, their look being customized to suit the Gym Leader's specialist type. Gyms had only previously had unique designs in Generation II, where the roof colors differed.

In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, every Gym has, with the exception of Aspertia Gym, a unique remix of the usual Pokémon Gym theme music.